


kiss me when they're looking

by SinginInTheRaine



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 5 Times, Canon Era, During Canon, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, Natasha Romanov Is Not A Robot, POV Natasha Romanov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 13:08:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17121956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinginInTheRaine/pseuds/SinginInTheRaine
Summary: Five times Natasha and Pepper pretended to be in a relationship. And the one time they didn't.





	kiss me when they're looking

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SkyRose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyRose/gifts).



> Written for the bingo square prompt _fake/pretend relationship_. 
> 
> Happy holidays, SkyRose!

**[1.]**

“Miss Potts, you wanted to see me?”

Pepper looked up from her desk, a smile across her face. “Yes, Natalie,” she said. “Please take a seat.”

Natasha nodded and walked over to the high-back chair in front of Pepper’s desk, lowering herself so she was sitting straight and proper at the edge, the tablet she used to keep track of Stark Industries’ business firmly in her hands.

“I have an assignment for you,” Pepper said.

“Of course, Miss Potts,” she answered immediately.

“There is a gala tonight at Stark Tower for all the higher-ups at the company,” Pepper began. “I would like you to accompany me.”

“Ma’am?” Natasha said.

Pepper steepled her hands. “As you are aware, I’m sure, Mr. Stark and I have a … let’s call it a very competitive nature.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“Well,” Pepper said. “Let’s just say he would like to date you, and I don’t want him to win. Understand?”

Natasha nodded. She had not expected that, but it was not the most unusual request she had ever had.

“Understood, Ma’am,” she replied.

“Good,” Pepper said. “My driver will pick you up at seven. Wear something low-cut. And Natalie?”

“Yes, Ma’am?”

“Please stop calling me ma’am. It’s Pepper.”

If Natasha was the type of blush, she would have at that. Instead she just smiled and nodded. “Yes, Pepper.”

•••

**[2.]**

The bar was a little too crowded for Natasha’s taste, but she reminded herself that she was here for Pepper, not for herself, and for all intents and purposes, Pepper was her boss, and when she had asked Natalie if she was up for a drink after work, Natasha couldn’t find it in herself to say no.

They managed to find seats at the bar after persuading two men who were ogling them since the second they walked in to give up theirs.

Pepper was on her third beer, but Natasha had barely touched hers. Instead she was spending the time trying to console Pepper — frustrated over something Tony had done — as well as fend off the steady stream of men who wanted to badly flirt with both of them or — as Natasha strongly suspected — do more than that.

It was getting a little ridiculous.

As the fifth man in the past five minutes stepped toward them, Natasha decided she needed to take matters into her own hands. She leaned forward, toward Pepper, and placed a hand on her upper thigh.

Pepper paused in her diatribe about Tony to send a quick glance Natasha’s way, but at Natasha’s subtle head nod toward the man now less than a foot away, Pepper smiled and covered Natasha’s hand with her own, inching both their hands a little closer to the hem of her skirt.

The man slowed a little, and Natasha placed her beer down on the bar. Then, quickly moving her free hand to Pepper’s upper arm, she leaned forward and kissed Pepper firmly on the lips, making sure to keep it going for a very suitable amount of time.

When she finally pulled back, making sure she had a dopey, in-love sort of grin on her face, she could see out of the corner of her eye the disappointed looks of the men in the place. The one who had been about to approach them sighed loudly and turned away.

Later, when no one was looking, Pepper leaned over to whisper in Natasha’s ear.

“Thank you, Natalie,” she said.

“Not a problem,” Natasha answered, and for once, she found herself almost surprised that she was being one hundred percent honest.

•••

**[3.]**

“I know you don’t trust me — and you probably don’t like me — but I need your help.”

Natasha stood completely still as Pepper lowered the tablet she had been working on and stared at Natasha standing on the opposite side of the little table in the corner coffee shop where she had finally tracked Pepper down.

“I’d ask you how you found me, but I probably don’t want to know,” Pepper said, “And you probably wouldn’t answer me anyway.”

Pepper picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip. “What do you want?” she said after she had placed the mug back on the table.

Natasha took a moment to compose herself before answering. She hated that she was almost slightly nervous to be standing there asking this. She’d been trained to always be confident, to never doubt. Being nervous about anything was a disconcerting feeling and one she did not want to be experiencing. Besides that, it made her feel like she was disappointing herself and everyone else.

“We know Stark Industries is hosting its annual Christmas party this weekend,” Natasha began. “We think one of the guests attending is actually someone SHIELD is very interested in.”

Pepper raised her eyebrows. “I don’t want to know, do I?” she asked.

Natasha shook her head. “It’s better not to,” she said. 

“So what do you need me to do?”

“Let me go to the gala as your plus-one.”

Pepper frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Everyone thinks we used to date,” Natasha said quickly, remembering how fast rumors had spread after Pepper had taken her to the Stark gala a couple years back. “They won’t think it’s weird that Natalie is back in town and that we are together.”

“I might think it’s weird,” Pepper said. “It’s not like we’ve spoken since … you know.”

Natasha hid her wince. Pepper hadn’t been too thrilled when she found out who Natalie really was.

“I never meant to mislead you,” she said now. “I was just doing my job.”

“That very well may be, but you did mislead me,” Pepper said.

“I know.”

“But you’re not sorry.”

“I did what I had to do. But I never meant for you to be hurt.”

“Not hurt,” Pepper said coolly. “Disappointed.”

Natasha hid another wince. That was almost worse.

“I wouldn’t be asking this if it wasn’t important,” she said.

“Fine,” Pepper said. “You can be my plus-one.”

“I can?”

Pepper picked her mug of coffee back up. “Don’t make me regret it,” she said.

“You won’t, I promise,” Natasha said, and she knew she would do anything to keep that promise.

•••

**[4.]**

All Natasha wanted to do was make a run for it, to duck behind Steve or the Hulk and disappear into the crowd or down an alley. What she didn’t want to do was stand there beside the other Avengers while reporters shouted questions at them.

Her entire life was built on hiding in the shadows. She had never wanted to be in the spotlight.

But more than that, she really wanted to punch a few people, especially the men who kept asking Tony and Steve and Bruce about saving the world and then turning around to ask her how long it took her to fit into her catsuit. If it wasn’t for Clint’s hand on her arm, a reminder to stay calm, she probably would have unleashed her fury a hundred times over by now.

She closed her eyes briefly as more questions were shouted at all of them. Beside her, Steve was answering a question about how he could never have been prepared for aliens if he hadn’t seen them for himself.

“Black Widow!” came a shout from the crowd, and Natasha had to force herself not to groan. “Which one of the other Avengers are you sleeping with?”

Clint’s fingers dug into her wrist. Natasha swore her vision turned red.

“None of them,” came a voice from behind her, and Natasha whipped her head around to see Pepper Potts appear next to her, looking perfect as always, dressed in a fitted sweater and an A-line skirt.

Pepper moved closer to Natasha, wrapped an arm around her waist. 

“She’s with me,” Pepper told the reporter, and then, before Natasha could even think to move, Pepper bent her head and kissed her with even more passion that Natasha had shown in the bar the first time they had kissed.

“I hope this is okay,” Pepper whispered to her as she kissed her, and Natasha barely managed to nod her head.

“You two are a couple?!?!” the reporter was asking, but Natasha didn’t hear Pepper’s answer.

Instead, she moved closer into Pepper’s embrace and tried to remember how to breathe.

•••

**[5.]**

Pepper’s hand was creeping up Natasha’s belly, under her shirt. Pepper’s lips were sucking on her pulse point as her other hand was threading through Natasha’s now short blond curls.

It would have been really easy for Natasha to get lost in the moment if she hadn’t been listening intently for the sounds of footsteps or the cocking of a gun or any other indication that they had been spotted by some of the many people hoping to capture her. Or kill her. Or worse.

They were getting closer now to their escape. In a few minutes, the train would be at the station in Berlin. A few minutes after that, they would be in Pepper’s private plane. And if all went well, twelve hours from now, Natasha would be tucked away in a safe house only she knew about. A place where she would be safe from the people who considered her a fugitive. A place where Tony couldn’t find her to turn her in. A place where she could figure out her next step.

She still didn’t know how Pepper had known she needed help and an escape route from the airport. But she had been there, with long black hair and blue contacts and looking almost unrecognizable.

“Just do as I tell you,” Pepper had commanded, and Natasha had never been more relieved to have someone else take the lead. She also thought she had never been more turned on.

“Just a pair of girlfriends enjoying their time together,” Pepper had said when they had first stepped on to the train. They’d parked themselves in a corner and buried themselves in each other.

“Why are you doing this?” Natasha had whispered to her as the train started moving.

“Someone once told me public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.”

“Not that,” Natasha said. “ _This._ ”

Pepper snorted softly as she kissed Natasha. “If you think I’m going to let Tony turn you over to someone who’s going to send you back to Russia, you don’t know me at all.”

“I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you …”

Pepper kissed her again, harder this time. “I’ll think of something,” she said, and Natasha felt herself shudder in anticipation.

She really hoped Pepper did just that.

•••

**[+1.]**

Natasha took a few moments to get her bearings. Her head was screaming in pain. Her whole body ached. Her breathing was a little labored. She was pretty sure there were a couple of broken bones.

And she wasn’t alone.

Natasha opened her eyes and turned her head, only to find Pepper sitting next to her bed, staring off into nothingness.

Natasha licked her lips, tried to find her voice.

“Did we win?”

Pepper started, blinking in surprise as she turned to Natasha, a huge grin spreading over her face.

“Merry Christmas. You’re awake,” she said.

“I am. Did we win?”

“After you refused to listen to Steve’s orders and tried to take out the entire army of aliens by yourself until you were knocked out?” Pepper narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “Yes, you all won.”

Natasha tried to smile. Her face hurt.

“Who attacks on Christmas?” she groaned.

“That was really stupid,” Pepper told her.

“Steve will probably say the same thing.”

“He’d be right.”

Natasha tried to shrug, but that hurt too. Instead she settled for a grimace.

“Why are you here?” she finally asked Pepper.

“Oh,” Pepper said, like maybe she had forgotten. “I have a question for you.”

“Okay.”

“Go out with me.”

“That sounds like a command, not a question.”

“That’s not an answer,” Pepper said.

“Is this another undercover thing?” Natasha asked. Her head was pounding. She didn’t think she was understanding right.

“No,” Pepper said. “This is a ‘I want to date you’ kind of thing.”

“You want to date me?” Now Natasha knew she was really imagining things, but Pepper smiled.

“Yes,” Pepper said.

“Why?”

Pepper shrugged. “Why not?” she said. “I apparently have a thing for reckless redheads who have no regard for orders or their own life.”

“You want to go out with me?”

“I do,” Pepper said. “Do you want to go out with me?”

Natasha thought that was a dumb question. “You know I do,” she said.

“Good,” Pepper said. She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Natasha’s forehead. Her lips were cool against Natasha’s skin. “It’s a date.”

Natasha let that soak in. She pictured them both, dressed in evening gowns, eating dinner, dancing and then later peeling the dresses off each other. She smiled.

“Yeah,” she echoed back to Pepper. “It’s a date.”


End file.
